The Devil's Child
by tobehonest21
Summary: This story delves into the early years of the Phantom's life when he was simply known as Erik and life was simple, well as simple as it could ever be for the future Phantom of the Opera. Contains Kay references but mainly based off the movie.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hello, this is my first Phantom fanfic but I have been a long time phan of the movie, musical and book (but mainly movie!) Hopefully I can do the story and characters justice, but something is off, please let me know and I will do my best to fix it.**_

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He ran as fast as he could, not daring to look behind him for fear of being caught by the gypsies. Erik had been running for some time, the days and nights blending into a ceaseless blur in an effort to evade his captors. His lungs burned from the exhaustion, as did his legs but he knew that if he stopped even for a moment, the gypsies would enslave him once more.

After running for what felt like an eternity, Erik finally saw what appeared to be a town, denoted by a collection of buildings, however he could not be entirely sure for his vision bounced with every step he took, which were not very large due to the fact that he was only 12 years old. He had originally been captured by the gypsies when he left home at the ripe old age of 10. He had tried many times to escape, however none of them had gone as well as this one and for that reason he was happy. He hoped it would last, however he knew that good things never lasted long no matter how much he wished it were different.

The air was not too cold due for spring was upon France which was a blessing for there was always a fear of hypothermia in the winter. The breeze rustled the fields that he passed and occasionally he could feel it on his face, despite the fact that he wore a makeshift mask which covered most of his face even though his deformity only covered half his face.

At last Erik reached the collection of buildings that he had seen earlier in the evening, which were indeed a town however he was out of time.

The gypsies had managed to track him down and reach the town a few hours before him. Javert smiled with sick pleasure at having caught his number one attraction- The Devil's Child. When Erik caught sight of his master, his heart sank for he had begun to relish his small taste of freedom and yet once again he was forced to be someone's slave and entertainment. He hated the gypsies for what they put him through- the daily torture of trotting him out for the masses and revealing his face. His shame and self-loathing grew with every showing and he wished to permanently ensure his freedom no matter what it took. He would be free.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Well, just wanted to let you guys know that this story will focus on Erik's relationship with Madame Giry before the events of the movie and will eventually include Christine however that is a while off yet. Let me know what you think!_**

As the season changed from summer to autumn, Erik's opportunity to free himself came at long last. The gypsies had rolled into Paris a month ago and had stayed due to their greed as the nobles paid more than necessary to see the macabre attractions that made up the gypsy fair.

During one of these viewings, Erik noticed that the ballerinas had come to view his face, having heard about the gypsy fair from the other girls in the corps de ballet. One of these girls was different, viewing him with compassion and not the abject horror that the other girls, women and men viewed him with. Soon enough, the viewing session was over, Javert strode into the cage, causing Erik to corner himself in his cage, as far away from Javert as he could get. Javert calmly collected his coins, never noticing Erik's careful movements as he uncoiled some rope, sneaking behind Javert and wrapping the rope around his neck until he fell unconscious.

Without a backward glance, Erik hurried out of the cage as Javert came to, ordering his men to follow Erik and catch him. The girl Erik had seen before beckoned to him to follow her. For lack of a better option, Erik agreed and the two of them raced through the streets of Paris until the girl stopped at what appeared to be a grate in the wall of a building, urging him inside. Erik hesitated until he heard the footsteps and shouts of Javert's men. He quickly climbed through the hole that the grate created, not waiting to see if the girl would follow him, however he was relieved that she did as he disliked being in a new place without guidance.

"Who...who are you?" Erik asked in a small voice as he and the girl continued down the passages beneath the building, his voice echoing off the walls.

The girl smiled at him before responding "I am Antoinette. I am a member of the corps de ballet. You will be safe here."

Erik shook his head in amazement as he could not believe that anyone could treat him with anything other that contempt. As if in a daze, he offered Antoinette what he hoped passed for a gesture of gratitude and a small smile that she could not see due to the hessian sack that covered the entirety of his face.

Antoinette smiled in return as they reached a cave-like section of the passage. Erik stopped as if transfixed by the structure, already altering it to offer more comfort for he took a keen interest in architecture and design.

Antoinette broke Erik's train of thought after a few moments of silence. "I never asked you for your name. What is your name?"

Erik was shocked. No one had ever considered the fact that he could have a name, for he had only been called 'boy' by his mother and 'The Devil's Child' by Javert and his cronies. He knew that he had a name however he had slowly forgotten it as no one used it. He thought for a few more minutes before he replied, "My name is Erik."

Antoinette was struck in that moment by Erik's voice. It sounded melodious, haunted and stern all at the same time. She was certain that Erik could sing, for many of the performers in the operas had similar sounding voices, however none of them were as transfixing as Erik's.

While Antoinette was in her thoughts, Erik paced around the cave and noticed that there was a lake on one side. He liked that feature and felt sure that it would come in handy at some point. All in all, Erik decided that this could become his home- at least it was a better option than returning to the gypsies and giving up his freedom in the process.

"This will do. I will live here." Erik declared, effectively breaking Antoinette out of her thoughts.

Antoinette smiled at the strange boy before her as she replied "I will try and visit you when I'm not dancing. I am certain that we can make this into a comfortable home for you to live in."


	3. Chapter 3

Erik had no choice but to sleep on the floor for the rest of the night, however he did not mind because he was free. Free. Never in his life had he been free, for his mother had treated him as a slave and during his time with the gypsies he had actually been a slave to their whims, receiving beatings and all other manner of torture at their hands if he did not willingly comply with their request to take of the hessian sack when it came time to exhibit himself. Each day, the one shred of dignity that he possessed would be stripped and he would be forced to gather the minuscule remnants, knowing that the next day would bring the same horrors.

As Erik settled on the ground to sleep, he thought of Antoinette and her kindness and realised that if he were to interact with her further, then he would need to learn the social customs of the world above him. Just as he began to doze off, Erik heard the most beautiful sound- music. The notes floated towards him, dancing before his eyelids as if he could reach out and touch tangible notes. He knew that he could not, but he knew that the person playing the violin was very talented and hoped to learn more of the world of the Opera Populaire.

Without any indication of time, Erik awoke sometime after he had dozed off. He felt certain that the day was dawning above him for his acute sense of hearing picked up the chattering of several girls as they went about their morning routine. He wondered what Antoinette was doing and if she would visit him or forget about him as everyone seemed to do at some point. He shook his head in an effort to remove these thoughts from his mind as he felt certain that she was different to everyone else that he had ever known, which admittedly wasn't very many people, but yet he felt certain that he would be proved wrong and that she would come to see him when she could.

It turned out that Antoinette rushed to see him soon after she had eaten her breakfast, intent on ensuring that Erik was alright, as well as to give him a selection of pastries that she had managed to snatch from the breakfast table on her way out.

Erik rose when he heard Antoinette coming into the cave, glad that she had come to see him.

"Good morning, Erik. I cannot stay long this morning- rehearsals begin shortly, but I thought that I would come and give you some breakfast. Here." She said with a smile, extending her hand to the boy.

He timidly accepted her offering, not used to being given things without some incentive for him to do something, as had been the case under the tyrannical rule of the gypsies. Erik nodded his thanks, wishing that Antoinette would leave so that he could eat without fear of being ridiculed for his unfortunate face, despite the fact that he sensed that he would receive none from the 15 year old girl in front of him.

Antoinette shifted her weight from foot to foot, clearly waiting for Erik to eat. Erik shook his head with silent pleading for her to leave. Somehow, Antoinette sensed that Erik did not wish for her to remain below the opera house and so bid Erik farewell, leaving him alone once more.

When rehearsals began, Erik could hear it all, much to his delight. The music flowed down to him for hours and hours, caressing his mind and heart. Above him, Antoinette danced and danced, orders being barked at the girls by their strict instructor Madame Josephine, with Antoinette avoiding most of the orders, much to her relief.

Antoinette returned to Erik's cave as soon as she could, eager to help her new friend make his new home as comfortable as possible.

"Bonsoir, Erik. I came to give you these."Antoinette declared triumphantly, having stolen some of the velvet curtains that had been taken down a few months previous, thus ensuring that no one would miss them or ever learn that they were missing.

Erik, who had been looking into the lake, turned to see Antoinette standing with a large amount of red velvet. Slowly, he crossed the cave to stand before her, feeling the material in her hands.

"It is very soft, what is it for?" Erik wondered, having never felt fabric so soft in his short life.

Antoinette giggled at his curiosity as she responded, "It was a curtain that hung in front of the stage, but I believe that it will make a better bed than the floor on which you slept last night."

If Antoinette could have seen Erik's face, she would have seen tears in his eyes at her kindness as he took the material from her with shaking hands.

"Thank you. These will make for a good bed." Erik replied after a few moments spent gaining his composure.

Silence reigned before Erik spoke once more, "Antoinette...would you teach me...the customs of the world above?"

"Erik, I am not sure I fully understand the request." Antoinette replied, asking for clarification. However Erik had only begun to open his mouth to explain when it dawned on her. Erik wished for her to teach him how to act like a gentleman.

"Of course, Erik. Shall we begin tomorrow? I have to go, for I am to perform tonight." Antoinette replied with a smile.

Erik nodded, glad that he had someone who seemed to care about him. Dare he call her a friend? Erik believed that remained to be seen but he was confident of the prospect.

 ** _Once again, please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions or ideas for this story._**


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